Community and respect are two issues highlighted by Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at WUST, when welcoming students, especially those newly admitted.

- You are joining a community. We build a community when we do something together, when we strive for something together – said Prof. Andrzej Kucharski. He also emphasised that community is mentioned in both the student oath and in the Statute of WUST. According to the dean, the community consists of students, employees, the environment, the Advisory Board of the Faculty and all friends who feel they belng in Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
 

The dean added that he does not support a vision of the university, teachers and its employees as service providers, and students as clients. He emphasized that the client and the service provider do not do anything together and do not form a community.

The second issue pointed out by the dean was hate, present in public space. He noticed that we are no longer moved by this phenomenon. We are accustomed to it. He pointed out that when Polish people choose to use the English word "hate" in place of its Polish equivalent it's because they hope to sound less aggressive and violent, trying to tame the concept.

– Hate is hate, no matter what language the word is used in. And hate speech surrounds us in every aspect of our lives – said the dean and emphasized: – Someone who appropriates themselves the right to hate excludes themselves not only from the community of civilized people, but also from humanity, which leads directly to what we have across the eastern border.

Honoured and awarded

The next point of the ceremony was taking the oath and presenting awards. On behalf of all students, the following representatives of individual faculties took the oath:
•    Aleksandra Birut – student of ICT
•    Agata Brzęczek – student of Telecommunications
•    Wiktoria Mróz – student of Systems Engineering
•    Michał Bekier – student of Applied Computer Science in Polish – 1st cycle studies
•    Marek Biegański - student of Applied Computer Science in English - 1st degree studies
•    Przemysław Bogdański – student of Algorithmic Computer Science
•    Jakub Gałązka – student of Applied Computer Science in Polish – 2nd cycle studies
•    Artur Gierlak – student of Technical Computer Science
•    Mikołaj Hudko – student of Cybersecurity
•    Mikołaj Wysocki – student of IT in Automation Systems.

Subsequently, the Dean's Awards for commitment and contribution to the development of the faculty were awarded to:
•    Maja Kałuzińska – student of 1st cycle studies in the field of Systems Engineering
•    Zofia Stypułkowska – 1st cycle student in the field of Algorithmic Computer Science
•    Natalia Wcisło – a graduate of 2nd cycle studies in the field of Applied Computer Science
•    Bartłomiej Baut – 1st cycle student in the field of Cybersecurity
•    Hubert Burzyński – 2nd cycle student in the field of Applied Computer Science
•    Tomasz Zawadzki – 2nd cycle student in the field of Applied Computer Science.

In turn, the tribute for the involvement in the organization of aid for refugees and for our students from Ukraine was given to:
•    MSc. Anna Grytsko – Ph.D. student from the Department of ICT
•    Lev Sergeyev – 2nd cycle student in the field of Trusted Artificial Intelligence.

Solidarity in an international melting pot

Anna Grytsko emphasized that this tribute should be paid to many people from the Faculty who joined the campaign.
– Together, we managed to help my compatriots fleeing in the face of the war, who found themselves in a foreign country without knowing the language. This action was a significant help – said Anna Grytsko and added that those who helped immigrants on their own, in the privacy of their homes, also deserve gratitude.

– At our Faculty, at our University, we create an international melting pot in which we not only learn a profession, gain knowledge, but also learn about tolerance and coexistence in a community. It is not always as colourful and optimistic as you would like, but it is worth opening your heart – argued Anna Grytsko. She alos appealed: – I’m encouraging all students to be notice the needs of their friends who are nearby.

The Faculty's community is not just about science

Prof. Paweł Wachel, vice-dean for student affairs, talked about the organization of the academic community and of the didactic process. He presented the Faculty’s website and showed where useful information can be found. He talked about interesting projects at the Faculty, such as the Guitar Guinness Record beaten with the help of both the students and the staff of the Faculty. He also appealed to students:

– We know that there are many talented people among our students. Let us get to know you, let us know how successful you are, what you do, what talents you develop. So that we can build our community not only in the field of education and research, but also around various other activities. We are always proud of your successes and we are very happy if our students develop in various fields.

The vice-dean for student affairs also invited students to DaWIT, i.e. the Activity Days of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, which will take place on 22 November. It is an opportunity to learn about the offer of student organizations and to join them, as well as to gain knowledge and new skills within student research clubs. At the end of his speech, he added: – I’m encouraging you to contact me, I am here to help you and assist you in any initiatives.

The Wrocław Brandmark

This year's inaugurating lecture was given by Jakub Mazur, vice-president of Wrocław, chairman of the Faculty's Advisory Board. He talked about the opportunities offered to students by Wrocław – a beautiful and specific city.

– The history of our city is a constant change, a constant confrontation with the unpredictable. In this spirit, we are building the community mentioned by the dean and by the vice-dean, we are building the community of solidarity mentioned by Mrs Grytsko – noted the vice-president. – In Wrocław, we look at all aspects of life from the perspective of a human being who is always at the centre.

The vice-president also spoke about the atmosphere of the city where 130 nationalities live together and emphasized that it is possible thanks to unity and the fact that we find ways to coexist. The greatest part of his speech was devoted, however, to why it is worth studying in the capital of Lower Silesia.

– Wrocław gives the future. Thanks to Wrocław University of Science and Technology and our Faculty, we have here centres for the development of competences of global companies and local enterprises, which have grown to the rank of global, or national players – he enumerated. – We have over 150,000 jobs at the highest world level, which means that the world is open to you, especially after studies in this Faculty, and that here in Wrocław you are able to find well-paid jobs.

The vice-president mentioned that this year alone, several offices of global companies opened in Wrocław, offering over 10,000 of the most developed jobs which the ambitious Faculty's students will find challenging and attractive.

– We are already working to open Wrocław to industry 5.0, to 6G technologies, to artificial intelligence, and this in cooperation with professors from our Faculty – emphasized the vice-president. – With Prof. Tomasz Kajdanowicz, we organized a hackathon, which by the way the Professor's team won, because it was by far the best.

Talking about the city's attractions, Jakub Mazur enumerated such advantages as warm climate, many cultural and sports events, high positions of Wrocław in rankings measuring the quality of life, safety, business friendliness and, of course, the possibility of studying and the quality of education. He talked about scholarship programs, competitions and supporting academic initiatives (such as FAST, WAZZ, Wrocław's Magnolia or the Mozart Program). He emphasized that interdisciplinarity, which opens minds and leads to synergy, builds the Wrocław joyful community of people who support each other.

– The before-mentioned spirit of solidarity and community is a brand of Wrocław, a distinguishing sign. Everyone who comes here has the right to say from the very first day that they are from Wrocław, that they are from here – it is unique, no one knows how exactly it is formed – admitted the vice-president of the city. – This solidarity is also transferred to the weakest. The amount of help we provide to all families in Ukraine is unlimited. It is extremely valuable that refugees can find their home, university and place here.

At the end, the head of the Faculty's Advisory Board persuaded students to get to know the city and make new friends, also international ones: – I’m encouraging you to bind your future to this city, because it can repay you and over the next several dozen years it will develop with you and thanks to you.

You can watch the vice-president's presentation here.

White Hats and other research clubs – the time of great opportunities

Each year, the inauguration is an occasion to present one of the numerous research clubs operating at the Faculty. This year, Maksymilian Górski, president of the White Hats Research Club dealing with cybersecurity, encouraged young colleagues to develop their interests within student organizations. He emphasized that students working in the club not only acquire professional knowledge and develop specialist skills, but also share their knowledge, and not only with students. They are involved in many educational activities.

 – We want to spread knowledge about cybersecurity in an accessible form, because we believe that cybersecurity is an inherent aspect of everyone's life – explained Maksymilian Górski. - We all use mobile applications on a daily basis, internet banking, e-mail, so in our club we believe that it is particularly important to promote knowledge, e.g. on how to minimize the risk of our data leakage or identity theft.

The president of White Hats presented some projects carried out in the club, such as the Pentester course, a series of webinars titled "Safety after hours", Break the Syntax or Malwarelab, which allows you to check specific files for security. He encouraged students to get acquainted with student organizations operating at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and convinced them to become involved in one of them.

– Studying is a unique stage in our life, it is a test of maturity, responsibility and of managing your life so as to have time for learning, socializing, which we often have to combine with work – said Maksymilian Górski. – For me, studies are not limited only to participating in the classes included in the syllabus. An important aspect is to develop interests to an even more specialized degree. Such an opportunity is offered by academic research clubs, which bring together many committed, ambitious people who are most importantly interested in the same specialization. Together, we can drive and motivate each other and share knowledge. Take advantage of the opportunities offered by the university, meet new people, make contacts and friendships for life.

Prof. Jerzy Świątek starts the 99th semester at WUST

A few words to students starting their academic adventure were also said by Prof. Jerzy Świątek, the dean's representative for the accreditation of the fields of study, who started his studies at Wrocław University of Science and Technology 50 years ago.

– You have chosen the best university in the country and abroad. I have two arguments to support this bold thesis. First of all, you could have chosen any other – your results from the matura exam show that you are the best – and yet you believe that this is the best university. The second argument is this: if I knew a better university, I would have changed my job. Congratulations on your choice. I have still another argument – the position of our graduates proves the position of the University, and sometimes I add: the position and the salary. The employers' representatives present today can certify that the position of our graduates is very high. This is another element confirming that you could not have chosen better.

Prof. Jerzy Świątek also encouraged the audience not to focus solely on science. He emphasized that between lectures, exercises and laboratories there is a so-called quarter of an academic hour – a time worth filling in an interesting way.

– I will quote one phrase: "No matter what you study, it matters who you meet." And you meet people on both sides of the lectern. Our Faculty consists of great people, but you will also meet great friends among each other, and these friendships will last for years. I wish you to treat these studies as such. When 50 years ago I, a boy from Jasło, came to Wrocław, I was shocked by the beautiful, developing city. I found a great university and am now starting the 99th semester of my studies. I suggest you finish it sooner, but if you stay at the university, I invite you to stay with me. It's worth it!  

At the end, the faculty authorities, guests, members of the Advisory Board and students took a joint commemorative photo.